Custodial hell

THE conviction of IGP Zahur Haider Zaidi and seven other policemen in a custodial death case serves as a grim reminder of the tragic events that unfold when cops take the law into their own hands. The Kotkhai gangrape-murder of a schoolgirl had jolted the peaceful hill state of Himachal Pradesh in 2017. The horrifying crime led to a public outrage that prompted the state government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Zaidi. The SIT managed to arrest six suspects but it came under sharp scrutiny itself when one of them died in police custody. Now, a special CBI court has found the probe team’s members guilty of murder, torture in police custody for extracting a confession, fabrication of evidence and other serious offences.

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Under pressure to produce ‘quick results’, the SIT crossed one red line after another. It’s true that public anger over the gruesome gangrape-murder had reached a crescendo, but this was not reason enough for the cops to resort to ‘instant justice’. This is a cautionary tale for police personnel around the country who let their overzealousness get the better of them during investigations. They are emboldened by the acceptance of violence as par for the course at police stations. A suspect in a lock-up often finds himself at the receiving end of police brutality. In 2021, then Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had rightly stated that police stations posed the biggest threat to human rights as custodial torture and police atrocities were prevalent despite constitutional guarantees.

Several states and UTs continue to drag their feet on implementing the Supreme Court’s order about installing CCTV cameras at police stations. The onus is on the respective police top brass to ensure that there is no laxity on this count. It is a must to crack down on cops who brazenly abuse their authority. At stake is the credibility of the law enforcers.